SANT JOAN & Door Special

SANT JOAN

Door Special

Today is Sant Joan, this morning everything seems quieter than most days, and that’s probably because people are just now going to get some sleep.

Tuesday was our summer solstice, yet here Sant Joan (St John) is celebrated as the longest day, and traditionally burn fires during the night to keep the appearance of day light. It is also known as the night of fire, for some the night of witchest, hey say it is the furthest day from Christmas. Like other festivities, the origin is somewhat blurry, some say it is pagan, others christian, but it doesn’y really matter; what matters is the party. For the kids it’s about firecrackers, and trying to find the right spot to light ‘m up, for instance a pedestrian tunnel, as there are many here with access to the beach, try keeping your ears covered while walking thru one, cause it can hurt it’s so loud. Those who enjoy dancing will attend a “revetlla” which in the towns may be held under a large carp or a large open space, where food is either provided or brought from home to share, and there’s a band playing for everyone to dance. And you know at somepoint during the night or the early morning you want to make it to the beach, even if you do smell the sulfur from the fireworks, because of the many parties, as most “xiringuitos”, which is what the beach bars are called.

The next town over, where I used to live as a child is Vilassar de Mar, also known as Sant Joan de Vilassar; most towns have a patron saint, so the sanctoral calender will determine when each town gets to celebrate it’s “festa major” (the town’s holiday), so in the case of Vilassar, they will be celebrating many fun events for the next 4 or 5 days. As for Premia de Mar, or Sant Pere de Premia, the “festa major” will start next week on St Peter’s day, which I’m looking forward to, as one of their main events is the desembarkment and pillage of the pirates ...I’ll let you know how that goes.

Naturally, with these festivities comes a spike in energy boosting drugs that help your body  thru the night, and because the goverment here likes to copy everything corporate-america does, they also have much to do with the war on drugs; which is why, if you can, it’s preferable to not do any driving at all. Not that you wouldn’t get pulled over even if you’re walking, put at least you minimize your risks.

So, fortunately for me, I didn’t have to walk to far to get home, as I don’t fancy exposing my body to more than it can take in naturally, around 2am I crawled home without having reached our beach party. On the bright side though I feel just fine this morning; and Wilbur will be grateful too, so we can go out for a walk sooner rather than later. But I do confess to waking up covered in sand wondering “how did I get here” on a few occassions when I was younger.

And I must also point out that the economic crisis was palpable during this festivity, particularly in Premia which has a higher amount of working class people, so while the sound of firecrackers was constant, the fireworks displays was not so much; however we went to have dinner at Carme’s in Cabrils, which is a wealthier town, and just across the street from us must have been the wealthiest of all, as we watched an amazing array light the sky throughout our dinner which was already close to midnight.

Since I did not have the camara with me, I thought I may as well use this blog to show off some of those pictures that I have been storing, just need to figure out wether to show the graffitti or the doors, so let me surprise you. And let me know if you have a favorite.